One year ago today I was 8 months pregnant. My dad stopped by for a visit and we went to downtown Fallbrook for a little frozen yogurt. We then went to sit in the town courtyard to enjoy our frozen yogurt, what I lovely day. Then I noticed Eric in our car turning left at the light, we flagged him down. I walked over to the car excited to invite him to enjoy some yogurt with us. When I opened the car door and saw my husbands face my stomach dropped, my mind raced, and tears quickly gathered in my eyes.

Eric looked seriously troubled and teary-eyed. He told me to get in the car. My dad quickly came over to see what was wrong, as he clearly could see from my body language that something was not right. Eric explained to us that there had been a terrible accident and his cousin, Tyson, may not have made it. The three of us prayed together and Eric and I quickly headed home, where we shortly received the call from Eric’s sister confirming Tyson’s death. We hugged and cried in our little apartment. Then we sprang into action, knowing we needed to get up to be with Eric’s family, 2 hours north of where we lived. The drive up was a mixture of quietness, sadness and lots of calls to and from family members. The next four days the entire extended family gathered together, supporting each other, allowing ourselves to be broken, and missing Tyson together. It is a time no one in the family will ever forget.

Tyson & Lindsey on their wedding day...almost two years ago.

A year later, we are all still sad about losing Tyson. I admit I did not know him as much as most of the family. But I remember his genuine kindness and the way he was always so sweet to anyone and everyone he came in contact with. We know God has a purpose for all He does, including tragedies and loss, and we trust in Him and His goodness and sovereignty in everything, this has made that truth so much more real. And we look forward to the day when we will all be reunited in heaven, thank the Lord for that hope as His children. It has been incredible to watch Tyson’s parents, siblings, and wife live out their trust in God this past year as they so dearly miss their Tyson.

There is so much more to say, but Tyson’s wife, Lindsey, and my husband, Eric, have both written blogs on Tyson and they have done a much better job than anything I could write, so I’m leaving the rest to them…..

Here is a link to a blog Tyson’s wife, Lindsey, wrote days ago, read it: Who Was Tyson?